Investigation of one-dimensional photonic bandgap structures containing lossy double-negative metamaterials through the Bloch impedance

Abstract

The Bloch impedance is studied and used to understand the properties of the absorption loss in one-dimensional photonic crystals (PCs) composed of air and metal-based double-negative metamaterials. We find that as the frequency increases across the zero-¯ n gap of the considered structures, the modulus of the Bloch impedance always decreases from a maximum to a minimum value. On the other hand, the frequency dependence of the phase angle of the Bloch impedance is greatly influenced by the ratio of the electric to the magnetic damping coefficient γe∕γm of the metamaterials. When the phase angle of the Bloch impedance reaches maximum inside the zero-¯ n gap, the impedance mismatch between the incident medium and the considered PC becomes greatest, the reflection will be strongest and a minimum absorption will be observed. As γe∕γm increases, the frequency corresponding to the minimum absorption shifts from the lower to the upper gap edge. We also show that the main characteristics of both the Bloch impedance and the absorption loss are insensitive to the geometrical parameters. Our study offers a valuable reference in the designs of zero-¯ n gap with optimized properties. © 2013 Optical Society of America